Citing the words of Pope Francis, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations said it is necessary to boost cooperation among nations to end the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, especially among terrorist organizations.

It’s not enough to rescue victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation — they must be given supportive care to address their trauma, and tools to live economically independent lives free from abuse.

One goal of a July 13 event at the United Nations on human trafficking was “to make real the faces of the nearly 2 million children and youth who are presently being trafficked,” said the Vatican’s U.N. nuncio.

The future of humanity depends on parents’ commitment to protect and nurture their children, instill values and help children mature as human beings, speakers told a United Nations event to mark the fourth annual Global Day of Parents.

The problem, Collett said, is that “dignity” as used by some governing documents — including the constitutions of Italy, Germany and Japan — is divorced from the source of dignity, God, and presented as something that can be granted, rather than something that is inherent to the human person, as the Church believes.

Sexual abuse of a minor is a sin and a crime and no organization can become complacent about addressing it. The Catholic Church has certainly done more than any other international organization to face the problem and it will continue to lead in doing so.